No Longer a Choice
by WannaBeBabe
Summary: Stephanie's been unable to choose between the men in her life and now they have taken the choice away from her. NOT my usual babe story, this one is a Steph/Joe/Ranger pairing **PLEASE READ WARNINGS INSIDE**
1. Chapter 1

*****WARNING…MATURE RATING, for adults only.**

 _This is not my usual Babe story, this is what I am going to call my Cupbabe story. This story contains a bisexual three-way sex scene between two men and a woman (you can guess who) and is so twisted I hesitated to post it. I also left this open to possible follow up chapter, but haven't decided yet so let me know what you think._

 **If this type of story isn't for you, I understand and thank you to not read it, because it'll probably offend you. To the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this dark, twisted part of my mind. Thanks. ****

No Longer a Choice

Stephanie frowned as she pulled her POS Ford Escort into the empty space near the dumpster. It wasn't the location of her parking spot that had her ready to turn around and leave, but the two vehicles she recognized parked in her lot.

The sleek, black Porsche Turbo 911 stood majestically in its spot by the door. The car belonged to Ranger Manoso, her best friend and sometimes lover. Unfortunately, that sometimes was becoming more often than she was comfortable with. In fact, just yesterday afternoon she found herself beneath him, shouting his name in ecstasy, for the third time this week.

There were plenty of women who wouldn't see sleeping with Ranger as a problem. The man was a sex god in about every way. No, Steph could never complain about the sex. That wasn't the problem. The problem was parked four stalls over. The SUV belonged to her almost fiancé, Joe Morelli.

To most people there would be a logical way out of her relationship predicament. They'd just choose between the men, then stop seeing the other. For Stephanie it wasn't so cut and dry. She loved them both and in their own way each man had become essential to her.

Joe was her cuddle-on-the-couch-with-a-pizza, drink-beer-and-watch-sports, and bring-home-for-dinner-with-the-parents guy. They were comfortable together, which allowed a certain amount of sexual comfort as well. She didn't feel strange or awkward when they tried gadgets or positions she wasn't familiar with. In fact, one of the best things about being with him was being comfortable enough to instruct him on how to get her off. She'd never done that with anyone else.

Then again, with Ranger, no instruction was needed. He was so in tune with her body he instinctually knew just what she needed. There was no need for gadgets, games, or props of any kind. There were no walls between them in the bedroom. Their minds melded as soon as their bodies met. He was her dream lover come to life. With him she was someone else. She was free, empowered, strong, and felt sexier than ever before. It was like a glimpse of what she could truly be if she could only believe in herself the way he believed in her.

Unfortunately, Ranger would never be domesticated the way Joe was. Plus, her mom would never be fully happy having him at her table. No, Ranger was her man of mystery, a connoisseur of fine wines, cars, guns, and probably women. She knew she'd never truly fit into his life. Yet, she couldn't deny he was the one person she could always trust to have her back. There was an emotional bond between them that she could never sever. She loved him just as much as she loved Joe. She couldn't send him away.

She couldn't send either of them away.

She took the elevator up to her apartment, then hesitated outside the door. She assumed they'd finally come together to force her hand. To make her choose once and for all. She didn't want to open that door, because she truly had no idea who she would pick. Fortunately there was no sound from inside, which meant they weren't fighting. Hopefully that would buy her some time to think.

She turned the knob, just happy that she wouldn't have to toss one of them out immediately to break up a fight, but the door was locked. She figured that meant Ranger was the last one to enter the apartment. He liked to have the doors secured. She turned her key and let herself into the dimly lit apartment. The only light left on was spilling from her bedroom. That was weird.

She closed and locked the front door before kicking off her heels. Then she silently tiptoed across the room to the bedroom door. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but it wasn't that. Her mouth dropped open as her shock turned to confusion.

Both men were in her bed, naked. Ranger's mocha skin looked even darker against the white of her bed sheets. He was propped up against the headboard, on her pillows, so he was looking directly at her as his fingers combed through Joe's dark brown hair.

Joe was kneeling over Ranger, his tongue flicking against the other man's nipple. From Joe's angle on the bed, she doubted he knew she was there. All she could see was his strong back, that muscular ass that she adored, and his erection, which was rubbing against Ranger's thigh.

Stephanie stood frozen in place, watching in both horror and fascination as Joe's mouth worked lower. Finally Joe moved low enough that she was gifted with an eye full of Ranger's very large, very hard cock. Then Joe's hand wrapped around it and pumped him. "Christ, you're thick Manoso," Joe laughed as he stroked it.

Ranger smirked at him. "Too much for you, mi amante?"

"Never, I like a challenge." Joe's tongue flicked across the head of Ranger's cock, then trailed a wet line down the length until he was at his balls. He cupped them before sucking one into his mouth. "You want me to show you why they called me Air Hog in the Navy?"

Ranger laughed as he cupped the back of Joe's head. "Show me, Air Hog."

Joe grinned up at him, "It's because I could suck a tank dry in record time." Before Stephanie could even process that thought she watched Joe's mouth cover the head of Ranger's cock, then slowly work all the way back down to his balls.

Ranger lifted his hips and thrust gently into the other man's throat. Steph was torn between watching Ranger's cock slowly fuck Joe's mouth or Ranger's face, which was completely blank. She settled on his face, meeting his eyes in fascination. He wasn't blank at all. She knew that look in his eyes. She'd seen it many times before. He was loving the way Joe sucked him.

Stephanie suddenly felt like an intruder. She was just about to turn away when Ranger lifted his hand and crooked his finger, beckoning her closer. She shook her head no, but he nodded yes. His other hand held Joe's head into position as he thrust up into the rather eager mouth. God, he was fucking Joe's mouth even harder now. "Babe, come here," he finally said. She still couldn't move. "This is for you."

"You're fucking one another, for me?" she asked in disbelief.

Joe sat back on his heels, looking at her unapologetically, but she couldn't stay focused on Joe's face when Ranger's damp cock was standing there begging for more. "You couldn't decide between us," Joe answered. "I knew I was losing you."

God. He knew she'd been sleeping with Ranger again? "Joe..."

"You were going to marry him," Ranger interrupted. "I can't lose you either."

"Why?" It was all she could think to ask.

Ranger just lifted his eyebrow at her, telling her that she already knew his answer. She supposed she did.

"I love you, Cupcake. I thought this was what you wanted," Joe told her.

"What I wanted?"

"Both of us," Joe explained. Stephanie watched as Joe's hands slowly stroked Ranger's hard body. His face showed his fascination and admiration of the other man's physical traits. It really seemed like he was doing this more for himself than for her. "I've invited him to join us, because you can't seem to stay away from him."

Stephanie shook her head as she stepped closer. She looked at Ranger this time. He was watching her, reading her reaction to it all. "You said you'd never share me," she reminded him.

"We've been sharing you for years," Joe answered instead.

Ranger nodded in agreement. "Let us share you."

"How?" she asked, wondering how she fit into the scene on the bed.

Suddenly they were both off the bed. Joe in front of her and Ranger behind. Ranger's hands moved beneath her tee shirt, cupping her breasts, while Joe gripped her shoulders and pulled her in for a kiss. As his tongue touched hers she imagined it stroking Ranger's cock just moments ago. Why was that such a turn on for her? Why couldn't she stop herself from grabbing Joe's erection?

"Cupcake," he sighed. "We're going to fuck you. Both of us. Together."

Ranger's lips caressed the side of her neck as his fingers stroked her hardened nipples. She hadn't even felt him unhook her bra. The man was magic. Then her pants were tugged down over her hips and she realized Joe was removing her jeans. Damn it, they were both magic.

She was being given her fantasy, all she had to do was say yes. Could she allow this? Could she participate in something that went against everything she had been taught was right and moral? Was it wrong to share herself with the two people she loved more than anything in this world? They didn't seem to think so.

In fact, Joe reached around her to grab Ranger's ass. In doing so he pulled the other man closer to her, pressing his erection into her ass crack. "Do you like having us pressed against you like this?" Ranger whispered in her ear. He moved his erection so it moved down and slid between her legs, then rocked himself so he was stroking against her wet lips with every tilt of his hips. "Do you want us both inside you?"

Did she want to feel them both taking her? Yes, she wanted them both. She always had. Part of her always would. "Yes," she answered. She couldn't deny herself this opportunity, just once. They had to understand it was only going to happen this one time. "But…" Joe pulled her shirt over her head, then Ranger stripped off her bra and her arguments fled.

"I want to watch you fuck him," Joe told her. "I'm so fucking hard just thinking about watching his dick stretch you open."

Stephanie's eyes rolled back in her head as Joe's finger flicked across her clit while Ranger moved his, now slick, cock against her opening, teasing her until she was whimpering and trying to fight the hands holding her hips still. "Not yet, babe," Ranger said, hushing her. "We're going to enjoy you first."

That's when Stephanie knew they were using this opportunity to torture her, probably for all of her indecision over the years. That was the only explanation. Why else wouldn't they give her what she wanted? "Please," she begged. "Fuck me."

"Oh, no," Ranger answered again, biting her earlobe. "I want you to suck me first."

Ranger pulled her backward toward the bed, then he lifted her and tossed her onto her back. He moved away, she was about to ask where he was going, but then he caught her under the arms and pulled her sideways toward the far side of the mattress. She looked up at him and he smiled that oh so intoxicating smile of his. Then he leaned over her and met Joe, who was now straddling her waist. She stared up at them as they kissed, like really kissed. From her angle, staring up at them, she could see their tongues touching. Joe's hands were cupping Ranger's face and Ranger was holding the back of Joe's neck with one hand and stroking Joe's cock with the other.

Stephanie growled in frustration at being ignored while they found pleasure in one another's touch. She moved her hand down, stroking herself while she watched Ranger slowly stroking Joe. Then, suddenly, Ranger's hand was behind her head, lifting her toward Joe's erection. Ranger guided the other man to her mouth, so she accepted it. Taking it deep, over and over, until Ranger finally pulled her head back and replaced Joe's cock with his own.

He slowly laid her back down, allowing her head to dangle off the side of the mattress. Then he pressed himself to her lips again. She grabbed him, stroking his long, thick shaft while she licked him up and down. Just when she finally took him into her mouth and slipped him as deeply as he'd go, she felt Joe's mouth against her thigh.

Her hand slipped down, catching the back of Joe's head. Her fingers tangled in his shaggy mane as she pulled him toward her center. He took the hint, spreading her with his fingers, then taking her with his tongue. She moaned around Ranger's erection, which was still inside her mouth. He was pumping into her now, slowly claiming her mouth as his and God did she love the taste of him, almost as much as she loved the way Joe stroked her with that long, talented tongue of his. "Fuck her with it, Morelli," Ranger ordered.

Joe laughed, "You like watching me eat her?"

"Yes," Ranger growled. "Make her cum."

"You want to cum, Cupcake?" Joe asked. She could only nod and moan in reply, making him laugh again. Joe tipped her hips up, forced her legs further apart, spread her wide with his fingers, and then impaled her with his tongue. She cried out, but her sounds were still muffled around Ranger, who showed no signs of allowing her a reprieve to enjoy her own pleasure.

Ranger's hands captured her breasts, squeezing them roughly as he worked himself in and out of her mouth. Joe's hands were just as rough, grasping her in that soft spot where her thighs met her body. That sensitive skin pulled as he grasped her tighter and tighter, using his hands to move her body against his own thrusting and swirling tongue. She pulled his hair in response, using it to move his head in a faster, harder pace. Finally his fingers replaced his tongue and he captured her clit in his hot mouth, sucking, licking, swirling in a rhythm that had her edging closer and closer to bliss.

She cried out as her body clenched around his stroking fingers. He kept with her, licking her until he'd pulled the last of the orgasm from her twitching clit. When he finally withdrew his fingers, her body throbbed in protest. She wasn't done, not even close. She wanted his cock, badly.

Joe knelt up on the bed and moved toward Ranger. Stephanie watched in fascination as Joe shoved his wet fingers into the other man's mouth. Ranger accepted his fingers, sucking them in, then withdrawing. He wasn't done though. He licked them, swirling his tongue around and around, then sucked them back into his mouth. "She tastes so fucking sweet, doesn't she?" Joe asked him.

"The best," Ranger agreed.

"That's why I call her my Cupcake," Joe told him. Then he shoved his fingers back inside her, making her clench in pleasure again. "She so soft inside. I get in here and I never want to leave." He withdrew his fingers and put them to his own mouth. "And she tastes so fucking good." He sucked his fingers clean. "I never loved the taste of any other pussy as much as I love hers." He punctuated this by fingering her again, then sucking his fingers clean.

Ranger growled in pleasure as he watched Joe sample her again and again. He finally had enough. He reached over and grabbed Joe by the hair and pulled him forward. Then Ranger took his mouth with a force Stephanie had never saw before. He sucked Joe's tongue in, almost in the same manner in which she was still sucking his cock. Then, she felt it, that quickening of his thrusts, the tightening in his muscles, and then he was coming in hot torrents into her mouth. She swallowed him down, taking all he was giving her.

Stephanie was suddenly lifted into a sitting position, with Ranger at her back. "Kiss her," he demanded of Joe. Joe's arms came around her, lifting her toward him and almost instantly his mouth was on hers. He kissed her deeply. His tongue searched her mouth. He tasted of her sex and it combined with the taste of Ranger that still lingered on her tongue. It was a heady buffet of flavors that sent her body surging back into a passion induced stupor.

Somehow she had ended up on her back with Joe lying over her, still kissing her. She spread her legs and welcomed the weight of his body against her quivering flesh. "I need a rubber," Joe said moving away at the last moment.

Ranger didn't comment as he watched Joe go to the nightstand. He didn't seem to mind that Joe was going to fuck her, but he wasn't content to just sit back and watch the show either. Ranger arranged himself on the bed next to Stephanie, except his head was near her thighs. She didn't know what he had in mind at first, but she didn't fight him as he sat her up or when he took her bottom half and helped her arrange herself over him. It only took a moment for her to understand what he wanted. She lowered herself to his mouth as she leaned forward and braced her hands against his hard muscled thighs. Then she began to ride his mouth.

His hands grasped her cheeks, helping her move her hips in a delicious circular motion against his mouth. His tongue was a soft, unmovable force against her. Yet somehow he still managed to stroke her while still giving her body that resistance it needed. "Oh, God, Ranger," she moaned as she rolled her hips faster and harder. "I'm going to cum."

A hand pressed against her back, lowering her torso to Ranger's, still she rode his mouth hard. Just as her orgasm hit Ranger pulled her thighs wide, holding her hips still against his mouth. He sucked her clit hard, taking her orgasm to a whole new level. "Oh, God, yes," she cried out, thinking it couldn't get any better, but she was wrong.

Joe chose that moment to push inside her. His cock stretched and filled her still climaxing body. "Oh, my, God," she nearly screamed. "Oh, God…"

Joe slammed into her over and over, rubbing over that spot inside her that was swollen and in desperate need of attention. The force of his thrusting didn't dislodge Ranger's mouth though. He kept sucking and nibbling at her nub. No words accompanied her next orgasm. Her cries sounded more animal than human and sent both men into a frenzy, fucking and sucking harder and harder. Just when Joe seemed to lose control in a way that usually signaled the finale, he pulled out of her and pushed her away. She scooted off Ranger and turned around to see what was happening.

Joe had taken her place, straddling over Ranger's face. Not only that, Ranger was sucking Joe's cock. Joe met her stunned look before leaning down and taking Ranger into his mouth. She wasn't surprised that Ranger was ready to go again, he had incredible reload time. He probably had a few more rounds in him if he really wanted to. Joe, though, he didn't usually reload until a few hours later so she was surprised when he grabbed her at the same time he pulled out of Ranger's mouth and squirted his load across her breasts. Why would he allow himself to finish so early in the evening?

Joe flopped back onto the bed, smiling at the mess he'd left on her. Ranger didn't seem off put by the mess at all. He rubbed it around, coating her skin while he teased her breasts until the tips were hard and aching. Then he took the nipple into his mouth. "Maybe I should have cum in your mouth you greedy bastard," Joe laughed as he watched Ranger lap at her breasts. "Do you like it?"

Ranger met Stephanie's lust filled face and smiled at her. "I love it," he answered before sucking the other nipple into his mouth. Stephanie understood he meant her, not Joe's cum and that made her smile. "I want you," he told her.

She nodded yes as she laid back and allowed him to stretch out beside her. Finally his lips touched hers. It was like that magical spark between them finally ignited. His fingers moved between her legs, stroking her sensitive skin until she was again throbbing with need. "Ranger," she whispered to him. "I want you too."

He rolled on a condom before he moved over her, fitting himself between her thighs. She opened to him and welcomed him inside. He moved slowly, deliberately stretching her body so slowly that she felt every inch of him. When he was finally fully seated inside of her, he took her mouth again. She wrapped her arms around his back, allowing her fingers to travel over the strong body she knew so well. Her legs wrapped around his calves until she could hook her feet around him. Finally she was holding him fully, with every part of her.

"I love you, babe," he whispered into her ear so softly Joe could have never heard it, then he began a slow rhythm, gliding in and out of her body in a way that made it feel like every nerve ending in her body was connected to the spot where they were joined. "I'd do anything for you," he whispered again. "Anything."

She was too far gone to think about his words. All she knew was that Ranger was making love to her. Heck, she had forgotten Joe was even there, watching them, until he spoke.

"God, Cupcake," he said stroking her hair away from her face. "You're so fucking hot. The way your face looks when he fills you like that has me hard again."

She watched as Joe stoked Ranger's back, dropping kisses along his spine, then he disappeared from view. She glanced up at Ranger, he met her gaze and held it. "Anything," he said again as he shifted and lifted her hips with him.

It took her a moment to figure out what was happening, but then she felt something. Ranger flinched as his hips were pushed forward into her. Then she noticed Joe's hands on Ranger's hips and his legs on either side of Ranger's. Her eyes opened in surprise. They couldn't be…

"Your ass is so fucking tight, Manoso," Joe growled. "Fuck. You feel so good."

She was wrong, they were, and she didn't know how she felt about it.

Ranger didn't move, he kept himself planted inside of her, his eyes focused directly on hers as Joe began to fuck him. "Can I move with him?" he asked her. She was still too stunned to understand how things were working, logistically. She nodded and Ranger began to use the force of Joe's downward thrust to push himself into her. It was like Joe was fucking them both. The three of them moved together, as one.

Stephanie was still worried, wondering how Ranger could stand what was happening to him, but his face was hardly blank as he watched her. He buried his hands in her hair and kissed her again, like he was reassuring her that all was well. She allowed her worries to drift away, focusing instead on the feel of Ranger's body covering hers and the deep penetration of his body pounding into her. His lips hovered over her throat, intermittently kissing her sensitive flesh. "I love you," he whispered again, the word nearly lost in the hot puffs of air he blew near her ear. He kissed her one more time before turning away from her. "This is what you wanted Morelli. This is your fantasy. Fuck me," he growled in a deep voice. "Fuck us."

Joe laughed and plunged himself deeper and harder, over and over. "Tell me you love my cock," he demanded. "Tell me you want more."

"I love it, give me more," Ranger agreed as he stared down into Stephanie's face. "Make us yours, Morelli."

Joe was clearly getting off on his power trip and Ranger was allowing it, but why? Why would he do this? He said for her, but she didn't want this? This wasn't her fantasy, it was Joe's. "I'm going to cum in your ass, Manoso."

Ranger's jaw was clenched and his body stilled inside of hers. He looked like he was caught in some spot between pleasure and pain. Stephanie moved her hands to his face, bring his focus back to her. She combed through his soft hair trying to give him some sort of comfort. He closed his eyes and his face relaxed like he was taking pleasure from her gentle touch. "Give me your cum," he demanded in a harsh voice, his word not matching the soft look on his face. "I want to feel you."

Joe came with a groan, thrusting wildly into Ranger. He finally pulled out and smacked Ranger's ass before leaning down to give it a kiss. "I wish I'd gone bare so you'd be dripping with my cum the rest of the night." He laughed as he leaned back, looking directly at the place he'd just conquered. "Your ass is mine now, Manoso. All mine."

The steely look in Ranger's eyes begged to differ, but he didn't argue with Joe. "It's yours, Morelli," he agreed to Stephanie's surprise.

As soon as Joe got out of the bed and headed for the bathroom, Ranger rolled onto his back, taking Stephanie with him. She adjusted, seating herself on him. He lifted her hips and slipped himself back inside of her. "Ranger," she sighed.

"Babe." He sat up, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her deeply. She held him back, wrapping her arms and legs around him to keep him close. His hands made their way to her hips again. He lifted her up and down, sliding her over the length of his shaft. They soon found an erotic rhythm that had her panting and moaning in delight. It didn't take long before they both found release, just like they always did, together.

Joe had emerged from the bathroom and stood watching them. Stephanie wasn't sure what he was thinking, but the look on his face was one she'd never seen before. "You look good together," he finally said. "Your beautiful bodies holding one another." He smiled as his moved toward them. "And it's for my eyes only."

"Joe?"

"I'm just sorry that I gotta go to work," he answered her. "I love watching you get fucked." Stephanie blushed, it was still too weird having Joe watch her with someone else. "Thank you for doing this, Steph."

Stephanie wasn't sure what to say. She still felt as if there was more happening between the three of them than met the eyes. She frowned to herself. If things hadn't been complicated enough before, now they had this whole new dynamic to deal with. So instead of answering with you're welcome, she just said, "I'll miss you, Joe."

Joe looked at Ranger, who was still wrapped around her. "No you won't, but I don't blame you."

"Next time turn off your phone," Ranger said pointing to his silenced phone.

Joe walked forward and slid his hand up Ranger's arm before squeezing his shoulder. "Next time I'm taking the night off," he agreed. Then he kissed Stephanie's lips softly. "Take care of her, Manoso."

"I know how to handle her, Morelli."

Stephanie frowned as Joe left the room. She waited until she heard the front door close and lock before she turned her burg death glare on Ranger. "You think you know how to handle me?" she grumbled as she pushed out of his embrace.

Ranger smirked at her. "Better than he does."

"Was this whole thing your idea then?" she finally asked him.

He grasped her shoulders and pushed her down, pinning her to the bed beneath him. She frowned at him. He was so obvious, taking the position of dominance when she was trying to start a fight. Well, she wasn't going to fall for it. "You didn't want to choose and now you don't have to."

"What?" she asked completely stupefied by his explanation. "You think this helped? This solves nothing, Ranger."

"Nothing? Morelli just kissed you goodbye and left us alone together, with his fucking blessing."

She rolled her eyes at him. "His blessing?"

Ranger shrugged at her. "Close enough."

"Why would you do this, Ranger? Truthfully."

He grabbed her wrists and held them over her head with one arm while the other traced the side of her jaw. "I knew he wanted me, but he never would have said a word about it. All I did was encourage him a little. I offered him what he wanted and by saying it was for you he didn't see it as wrong."

"I was your buffer?" she bitched at him. "You wanted Joe to fuck you so badly you did all of this?"

"You weren't a buffer. He needed to feel like we both belonged to him. He needed to feel like he was the alpha between us, so I allowed him to fuck me."

"Why?"

"Because now I can have you whenever I want and no one will stop me."

"I'll stop you," she informed him.

He smiled down at her defiant look, then reached between them and stroked her just the way she liked. She squirmed, her body betraying her feelings. "You won't stop me," he smiled. He pressed his cock against her opening and pushed himself inside. "You love this."

Her eyes closed and her lips opened on a sigh. "I do love it," she agreed. "Harder, Ranger."

He complied, taking her harder and harder. "This is the only way I can have you, indefinitely," Ranger told her in a harsh voice. "Don't deny me. Don't deny us."

"I won't," she sighed again. "I can't."

"I love you."

She was filled with awe and wonder. No one had ever done so much just to be with her. No one had ever loved her like that. "I love you, Ranger," she panted. "I love you so much."

He looked stunned by her words and her actions. She pushed him away and pulled off his condom. "Ranger, I want your cum," she smirked, repeated his conversation with Joe. "Fill me with it. I want to drip with it."

"Jesus, Steph," he said smiling. "The pill?"

"The shot," she agreed, proclaiming herself safe.

He didn't think about it twice, he joined her skin to skin and moments later filled her with his cream. "I haven't gone bare since I was a teenager," he smiled. "This is just for us, when we're alone together."

She agreed, cuddling against him. "Don't tell Joe. I don't allow him to do this," she agreed.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Why not?"

"He'd make me change my life if he got me pregnant," she confessed. "I can't take the risk with him."

He was silent for a long time before asking, "Why me?"

Why? Because he'd never ask her to change. He'd support her no matter what she wanted. He'd go out of his way to help her. "I trust you," she answered.

"I'm forgiven for tonight then?" he asked quietly.

"Can you really continue to have sex with him?"

He smirked at her. "It's not the worst thing I've done for you." She lifted her eyebrow at him, hoping he'd elaborate. "I've eaten pot roast." She laughed at the joke. "Stephanie, my tastes are diverse enough that I enjoyed everything that happened here. It was only difficult to allow him dominance. I'm not a good bottom."

"You allow me to be on top," she answered with her own smirk.

He laughed before pulling her into another deep kiss. "I top you from the bottom, babe, every time. You like the way I dominate you and once Morelli is comfortable enough I'll do the same to him."

"You think it'll be that easy?" she questioned.

"Without a doubt," he agreed. "Air Hog will be on his knees, begging me for it, before the month is out."

She smoothed her hand down his torso until she found his hard-again shaft. She wrapped her hand around him and squeezed. "You're very manipulative," she told him.

"I told you a long time ago that I was an opportunist."

She laughed as she climbed over his lap, "Well, then you better take this opportunity to show me exactly how you dominate me from down there."

"With pleasure," he agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

****Thank you for the positive reviews and encouraging notes you sent and posted in the reviews. I decided to keep going with this story. I'm not expecting it to be more than around 6 chapters altogether, but I think I can have a little more fun with it. I'm not really sure where I'm going yet so I make no promises on the outcome of this story. Though I'm having a lot of fun writing something that's not straight up Babe HEA, I feel like that's where my writing tends to go. So I figured I'd try to have some fun with Joe and, maybe, redeem him in FF eyes a little bit. Okay, so I may slip a few jokes in at his expense (I can't help myself).**

 _ **WARNING again, this chapter is packed with sex (with less participants this time around).**_

 **Disclaimer, I, of course, am making no money off this fiction. I'm just writing some erotica for JE's characters since she can't seem to manage it herself.**

 **Enjoy, and send me your suggestions or thoughts on this one, I like taking your thoughts into consideration when figuring out a direction to take this. Thanks again.****

 **No Longer a Choice**

Chapter 2

Stephanie woke to the sound of a bakery bag and the smell of coffee. She smiled to herself as she stretched out across her bed. She wasn't surprised to find she was alone in bed. Ranger always woke early and was quick to get started with his day. She was, however, surprised to find that he was the one standing in her bedroom doorway holding breakfast.

"Morning," she smiled.

"Breakfast?" he asked holding up the cup and bag.

She scooted up the bed, arranging the sheet over her naked torso. "Did you bring me carbs? That sounds like carbs."

"Muffins," he answered, pulling a beautiful blueberry muffin from the bag. He peeled the wrapper off and handed it to her as he sat down on the bed. "It's not a doughnut and it has fruit in it." He explained as she took a big bite. "So I figured it was a good compromise."

"Have I told you that you're a brilliant man?" she grinned before taking another bite.

"Not for at least a few hours," he teased. "Move over."

She scooted over so he could rest his head on the pillow next to her. "Aren't you working today?"

"I'm taking a patrol shift later today. Aren't you going to share that muffin?"

She broke off a piece and popped it into his mouth, surprised he'd actually eat something full of carbs and sugar. "More?" He shook his head no, then wrapped his arm around her waist and snuggled into her side. She took her time eating the muffin while she studied him. His eyes were closed. The long, thick lashes rested on his cheeks. His skin looked so smooth, like he'd just shaved. He looked gorgeous, like an angel resting there beside her. She couldn't resist touching his cheek, just to see if it felt as soft as it looked. She hadn't been wrong. He definitely just shaved. "Are you actually relaxing, Ranger?"

His lips tipped up just a fraction, but enough to let her know he was amused. "I'm just waiting for you to finish that muffin."

"I'm savoring it."

He cracked his left eye and peeked up at her, taking a quick assessment of the muffin and her. "I think you've been checking me out instead of eating your breakfast."

"You're crazy," she teased. "Why would I check you out? I've seen it all before."

His eyebrow lifted above his one open eye, "As I recall, you enjoy seeing _it_."

She laughed, swatting his forearm playfully. "You're freaking me out." He looked at her expectantly, waiting for an explanation. "All this relaxing, joking, muffin eating…"

He laughed as he pulled her down the bed until she was flat on her back. "Muffin eating?" he asked, flashing her his wolf grin. "That one shouldn't come as a surprise."

"See, that's what I'm talking about," she accused him. "You're actually talking! And you're kinda funny."

He took her muffin and placed it on the nightstand, then rolled over so they were face to face. His face was so serious looking. He had that blank stare and the set jaw he always got when he was angry. She wanted to get away, fast, but she was trapped there. No one wants to be trapped with him when he looks like that. He grasped her chin and tilted her face up to his. Oh, God. She wasn't sure if he was going to yell at her or kiss her. "Babe," he said in a low voice. She nodded weakly. "You better get used to it." Then his face split into a wide grin and he laughed at her. "You were scared."

"I was not!"

"Yes you were," he teased. "Do you really think I'd hurt you?"

She rolled her eyes at him. She saw that exact same look on his face before, just before he threw a man off a roof, but he was right. He'd never hurt her. "No."

"Good," he agreed before kissing her like it was her reward for answering correctly. "And to answer you, I just wanted to spend the morning with you. I have no ulterior motives."

"Really?" He nodded, before kissing her again. "So we're just going to hangout?"

He rolled onto his back and pulled her into his arms. "Too weird?"

Yes. Yes, it was. This wasn't the man she knew. This was like some weird mirror universe Ranger. She was fascinated by him though and she wasn't ready for him to go just yet. What could she say? She knew her curiosity would kill her someday. This seemed like a better way to go than most. "It's weird, but not bad weird," she agreed.

"What's the problem then?"

There was only one. "I'm afraid you're going to give me false expectations," she explained. "A girl really could get used to this."

"I want you to get used to it," he countered.

Her disbelief was evident as she sat up with her mouth hanging open. "What are you saying?"

He sighed, sitting up too. "Isn't this what couples do?"

"How the hell should I know?" she stammered. "It's not like I have a frame of reference either."

He flopped back onto the bed and shook his head. "I'm trying here, babe."

She frowned as she resisted the urge to slap herself upside the head. Note to self, if Ranger is trying to be your boyfriend you let him try without arguing. It wasn't like he was the type of man to fail at something twice. He was bound to give up on her after this. "Crap."

"That bad?"

"I'm an idiot," she sighed before flopping down next to him. "You caught me by surprise."

He gave her an encouraging smile. "You willing to try again?"

"Yeah, you?"

"I'm still here."

Good point. She nodded as she stared up at her ceiling. "Okay, so, this, we're…a couple then?"

His hand covered hers, then he twined their fingers together. "Last night changed everything for me."

That's what she was afraid of. She still didn't know how it changed things for her. She still had feelings for them both and those feelings hadn't diminished or changed. It hadn't helped her clear her head at all. In fact, it confused the hell out of her and Ranger's behavior this morning wasn't helping matters. "How?"

He suddenly leaned over her, blocking her view of the ceiling. "You finally admitted to loving me."

She sighed and shook her head. "I've been in love with you for years, Ranger. Almost from the beginning. You can't tell me you didn't know that."

"Sometimes a man needs to hear it," he whispered, then his lips settled on hers, gently coaxing them to respond. It didn't take long for her body to heat and her head to forget all the awkwardness that had surrounded them. This they did well. Once they were touching there was nothing else but the two of them, just like it always was between them.

The sheet was kicked away and his shorts and tee shirt were disposed of within seconds. Then he was back in her arms, slowly making love to her with his hands and lips. She had floated away, almost like an out of body experience, as her first orgasm rolled through her body. "I love you, Carlos," she sighed.

His stroked her hair off her forehead and stared into her eyes. "You called me Carlos."

"Did you like it?" she asked, raking her nails over his hard, tight ass cheeks.

"I don't know, say it again."

"Carlos," she sighed as he pushed into her. Her eyes fluttered shut as he pulled back out. "Carlos," she whimpered, wanting him back where he belonged, but he didn't move.

"Again," he demanded.

"I want you, Carlos." He seemed to like that. He slid home again, then began pounding into her. "Oh, yes, Carlos, more…" He gave her more. He gave her everything and only after she clenched around him in delight did he let himself go, causing her to climax again as his hot fluid hit her cervix. "Oh my God. I love feeling you cum like that," she laughed as she hugged him to her.

"That makes two of us," he said laughing with her as he rolled over and settled onto his side. "You know what? I think I did like it," he finally said.

"The sex?"

He laughed again. "Without a doubt, but no, I meant you calling me Carlos."

Oh. That surprised her a little. He usually acted like he hated the name and demanded to be called Ranger. "Really?"

He nodded, then winked at her. "Keep it in the bedroom though. I don't want anyone thinking I've gone soft."

She snuggled into his arms and smiled. Ranger didn't cuddle, but Carlos certainly didn't seem to mind. "That sounds perfect."

He kissed her forehead, then gave her a gentle squeeze. "You're perfect."

She felt her face flush. She didn't know about that. She felt far from perfect, especially after last night. "About last night," she said quietly. "Was it really what you wanted?"

He kissed her forehead again, then took a deep breath. She held her own breath, afraid of what he'd say. "It was what I needed, Steph. More than anything, that was exactly what I needed."

She nodded against his chest, trying to decide if it was what she needed, but the jury was still out on that one. "It didn't change things between us, did it?"

His lips moved over her forehead again. "It changed everything, babe. You're really mine now."

She kissed his chest and hung on tight. She had some serious thinking to do and it seemed she finally reached a point where she had to be an adult and make a decision about where her life was really headed. "I love you," she whispered again.

"I know," he answered. "No matter what happens, I know."

888888888

Ranger had taken off just after lunch, leaving Stephanie alone with her thoughts. It wasn't a place she liked to be. She didn't do well with tough decisions and she was even worse with decisions about her relationships than she was with the other stuff. She knew she was a bad adult, but she was scared. She never seemed to make the right choices when it came to men. If she were any good at it she wouldn't have given it up to Joe on the floor of the bakery when she was a kid, she wouldn't have married The Dick just out of college, and she certainly wouldn't have let Ranger use a bet to get her into bed that first time.

No, she sucked when it came to these kinds of choices. She wasn't equipped to know what to do in this type of situation. She couldn't even talk it over with her friends since she didn't want anyone knowing about her situation. At least until she knew what she was going to do about it anyway. She supposed there was only one thing to do, think things through and try to do what was best for all of them. Surely if she thought about it enough it'd make sense, she hoped.

Unfortunately her thoughts kept hitting road blocks. There were so many things that still didn't make sense. Ranger said he loved her, but the last time he'd said he loved her he also said it was in his own way. So was his way different than the usual way? It must be. If it were the usual way and he really, truly loved her he'd never be content to share her with Joe, would he? She didn't think so. He was much too possessive of her to really want this. So why in the world was he doing this? Why was he asking her to do this? It just didn't make sense. Especially when he said it was exactly what he needed. What did that mean anyway?

She knew she should have just asked him when he was here, but he was so sweet and comforting and completely distracting. She could hardly refuse his offer to start a relationship with him. That was the one thing she knew she did want. Unfortunately that left her in a really difficult spot, because she wasn't ready to end things with Joe either. That left her with this strange offer to be with them both as her only option.

Ranger still wanted it, but did Joe? She still hadn't spoken to him. He'd gone to work and she'd spent the night with Ranger. Joe probably really loved that. God, it was probably going to turn into WWIII when she saw him again. Not to mention the fact that she didn't want to face him after last night. With Ranger the awkwardness disappeared easily. With Joe she doubted it could be anything but embarrassing, for them both. If only she hadn't been such a slut last night.

She was just thinking about what she'd need to confess next time she went to church when the phone rang. She leaned over the coffee table, afraid to touch it. Unfortunately it was exactly who she hoped it wasn't. Joe. She picked it up on the forth ring deciding she couldn't ignore him forever. "Hi."

"Pino's?" he asked, getting right to the heart of the matter and more to the point, acting normally.

She smiled, realizing she'd been stupid to worry about talking to Joe. "Yes. I'm starving."

"I'll pick up a pizza. I gotta let Bob out first, though. Unless you wanna meet at the house?"

"Alright, I'll get Bob and you get the food," she agreed easily.

"Thanks, Cupcake. See you soon."

She hung up without a goodbye before she realized her mistake. Joe wasn't Ranger, he liked a goodbye over the phone. She shook her head trying to clear all the comparisons she'd been building up in her head all day. It did no good to compare them, they were like night and day.

She got herself ready and drove over to Joe's house. She used her key to unlock the door, then stood aside as his dog barreled out to water the lawn. After Bob did his business he headed back to get his ears scratched, then followed her into the living room.

Joe arrived a few minutes later. She watched the elaborate, practiced dance that always accompanied food. He held the pizza high over his head with one hand, grabbed Bob's collar with the other hand, dropped the pizza onto the coffee table, and then used both hands to wrestle the dog to the backyard. She couldn't help but smile at him as he walked back into the room looking like Bob almost won.

His hair was mussed and sticking up over his left eye. His flannel shirt hung open and slightly crooked, displaying his right shoulder which was covered in a blue tee shirt. He shrugged out of the flannel and rubbed his hand through his hair, almost like he heard her thoughts. She smiled as he bent over to untie his shoes. Joe in jeans was a sight to see. Seriously. She could sell tickets for this show.

"The vet says pepperoni is not on Bob's diet," Morelli told her. Made sense, then again, neither were her socks or panties and that didn't stop Bob from eating them.

"Luckily it's on mine," she smiled back as she tore the stapled paper pizza bag open and slid out the extra-large thin crust dream.

"Beer?" he asked pointing at the kitchen.

"Coke."

He returned with a beer, a Coke, and a couple paper plates. She plated the pizza, then handed him his plate. "Smells good," he said sniffing the pizza. "No wonder Bob tried to take my hand off."

She nodded, but the smell wasn't at all very appetizing. She picked at her own slice as she watched Joe eat and simultaneously flip through the channels on his TV. He finally noticed she was watching him instead of the game, so he turned the power off and put his plate down. "You alright?"

She nodded yes. "Fine."

"Liar," he grinned and before she could argue he pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. It was a hell of a kiss, lots of heat and lots of tongue. "Mmm," she moaned into his mouth.

He pulled back with a little smile. "There's my girl," he grinned. "Now stop worrying, you'll make yourself sick."

"I'm not worrying."

"Sure, and I'm a pretty little ballerina."

She suddenly had an image of Joe in a leotard, his long hairy legs leaping across the stage, and she burst out laughing. "Fine, I'm worrying," she choked out.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked.

"Not really."

He shrugged her answer off and picked up another slice of pizza. "Good. Me neither."

She laughed as he shoved an entire square of pizza into his mouth. "Don't you think we should talk?"

"Probably," he answered with a mouth full of food. He held up his hand, asking her to wait while he swallowed, then took a swig of his beer. "Okay, fire."

"What?"

"You've got something on your mind. Just go ahead and shoot. It's not going to go away," he urged her.

She took a deep breath, then looked down at her lap. She definitely couldn't make eye contact when she asked him this. "Have you always been into guys?"

"I like that you just went for it," he told her with a laugh. "That's new."

"That's not new. And you're stalling."

"Oh, it's new alright," he argued. "You usually hem haw around the issues for weeks, months, years…"

"I get the point, but you're still stalling."

"Fine, I'm stalling." He leaned back at the same time he reached over and took her hand in his. He squeezed her fingers as he thought about her question. "I wouldn't say I'm into guys. That's kind of a blanket statement," he started. "Actually, I always thought I was straight as an arrow. Then one day I realized there were a few curves in my arrow, you know?"

"What kind of curves?"

"There have been a few occasions when I found myself attracted to another man."

She looked up at him, surprised he admitted to that. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

He just shrugged. "It wasn't relevant until last night."

"Would you have ever told me?"

"I doubt it," he admitted. "It wasn't something that affected our relationship."

"I'd say it affected quite a bit of our relationship last night," she complained. "You've obviously been with a guy before. How long has this been going on?"

He sighed, rubbed his eyes, and then took another drink of his beer. He was stalling again, but she wasn't going to point it out. She just sat there waiting for him to answer. He looked over at her and gave her a weak smile. "It started just after I joined the Navy. After basic I was put on a ship, with no women on board. For the better part of two years I didn't see a flesh and blood woman," he explained. "You know how I was when I was eighteen. I didn't give a shit where I was getting it from as long as I got off. I was starting to get a little crazy without it. Then one night a guy I was buddies with offered to suck my dick if I'd do him too."

"So you did it?" she asked, becoming quickly fascinated by the story.

"I did," he agreed. "And he did. And it was the best fucking blow job of my life, up until that point. We did it more and more, as often as we could find a place alone. Then one day it progressed to fucking. My mind was blown by the sex. It was different and new and felt so fucking good."

"Did you love him?" she asked quietly, detecting something in his voice.

Joe shook his head no. "No, we were friends. Best friends. We talked, hung out, whatever I'd do with my other friends. There was just another side of it, you know, with the sex. I guess he was special to me. I'd never been with just one person for that long before. I never knew my other partners like I knew him," he answered. "But, no, I didn't love him."

Stephanie wondered if he thought about what he'd just said. He'd just described a very personal and private relationship that could only be labeled in one way. That guy had been his first boyfriend. "What happened? Why did you stop seeing him?" she asked.

"After ten months we were separated, stationed onto separate ships. I think our CO knew what was happening, but didn't want to discharge us."

"Did you see him after that?"

"Once." He shifted to look at her. "Nothing happened though. Those kinds of relationships are still frowned upon, even if they're technically allowed. He didn't want to risk his career. He's an officer now, works in DC."

Stephanie noticed that he hedged around using the word gay. She also noticed that he said the other man didn't want anything to happen. She wanted to ask if he'd been looking for something to happen, but she didn't want to push it. Obviously it wasn't something he was comfortable talking about and it happened fifteen years ago. She had to move on. "Did you meet someone else, after you left the ship?"

He shook his head no. "On my next ship I met several guys that had a sex club of sorts," he admitted. "There were almost a dozen of us. We pared off randomly. Sometimes there were three or four of us together and sometimes it was like a big fucking orgy."

"Are you serious?" she asked with wide eyes.

"I was twenty," he answered. "I didn't have to work for it. There was always someone there ready to go when I was. It was almost like an addiction at that point. I couldn't stop myself. It was just sex, no feelings, no strings, and no regrets. I could lose myself in it."

"That's when you became the Air Hog?"

He shrugged, unbothered by her use of the name. "You know I like oral," he smiled back at her.

"Isn't sex without the feelings lonely?" she asked. She'd only been with four men in her life and at the time she'd loved them all. She couldn't wrap her mind around the lifestyle he described.

"Sometimes it's just easier. I wasn't friends with them or anything. We didn't expect anything from one another. If someone wanted out it didn't hurt, he just left."

He closed his eyes and groaned when he realized what he'd just said. Stephanie was paying too much attention to miss it either. He'd turned to that emotionless sex because he was hurt by his boyfriend leaving him. He had loved him. "What was his name? The guy that hurt you?"

He laughed to himself and shook his head. "Travis."

Travis. Stephanie rolled the name around in her mind. Travis. How weird to be confronted by the ghost of Joe's past and not feel the jealousy that usually accompanied thoughts of him and his ex-girlfriends. "So once you left that second ship there was no one else, no one like Travis?" she asked, getting back to the story.

"No. I came home after six months on board that second ship," he told her. "One of our orgies was busted by our CO and all of us were discharged from service."

"Dishonorable?"

He shook his head no. "They wanted to keep things quiet, so we were sent home and our records were sealed. I'm sure it would have been dishonorable if the guy I'd been fucking that night hadn't been the grandson of a Vice Admiral."

"Holy crap." So many things finally made sense to her, especially his early return home. "What about after you came home?"

He looked at their joined hands and squeezed her fingers. "I went back to being The Italian Stallion. There were plenty of women to be had and I was happy to have them."

She heard the change in his voice. It was almost like he was judging himself for what he had done. Like he loathed The Italian Stallion façade he'd been hiding behind all these years. Could that be it? Could it have all been a cover? "Just women?" she asked.

"There have been three guys since then," he admitted. "Twice I drove to Philly and spent the night with a guy I met at a bar. Then, Ranger."

Three men over the last fifteen years wasn't much, but it also showed that he was still interested in men or at the very least enjoyed being with a man once and a while and that could easily change everything between them, forever. "Honestly, Joe, do you prefer men or women?"

"I'm an adult now, Steph," he answered. "I prefer someone that I care about."

She studied him and he looked like he was being honest. So was he saying that he didn't prefer a woman over a man? That he just wanted to be with someone he cared about? That was surprisingly deeper than she would have thought Joe could be. It also worried her. "I know you love me," she said. "But am I enough, sexually? Do you need to be with another man sometimes?"

He was quiet for a time, then he turned to her and pulled her into his arms. She snuggled into him, wrapping her arms around his warm, solid chest. "You've been enough for me. More than enough. I haven't been with anyone but you since we started dating."

"But?"

"But I suppose a part of me has been too aware of Ranger for a long time now," he answered. "The way he moves, his body, it's so lean and tight, and his eyes…the guy has fuck me eyes."

"He does," Stephanie agreed.

"I knew he seduced you, years ago, and it pissed me off," he told her. "I didn't want him to have you and I didn't want you to have him."

"You wanted us both?" she asked in surprise.

"He's been dropping these little hints, flirting with me, you know?"

"Ranger was flirting?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm only human," he answered making her laugh again. She knew how that felt. When Ranger flirted there was little you could do to resist. "We were talking about you choosing between us and then there was this solution. I wouldn't lose you and I could have him too. It seemed like a good idea."

She shifted onto his lap and laid her head on his shoulder. "I wouldn't have left you," she whispered. "I love you, Joe."

"I love you too, Steph. I really do."

"But?"

"But after last night part of me realized what I had been missing all these years," he sighed. "I don't want you any less, but I don't know if I can turn off the part of me that also wants to be with someone like him. Being with him met a need I've been trying to deny I had."

"What's it like? What's the difference?" she whispered into his ear before kissing his neck gently.

"With you I'm the man. I'm stronger than you, I'm bigger than you, and it turns me on to use that strength to take you," he told her. She smiled thinking about their gorilla sex. It was definitely hot and he was very dominant in the bedroom. "Even though Ranger let me fuck him last night I knew he was only letting me. I knew that he could have overpowered me at any minute. He was the stronger, bigger man and he was just toying with me, allowing me to top him."

Stephanie was surprised to hear that Joe knew exactly what Ranger had been thinking the night before. "And you'd like him to top you?"

Joe closed his eyes and dropped his head back onto the cushion. "Yes," he answered. "Yes."

Stephanie kissed his jaw again and again until she worked to his lips. Then she kissed him deeply, letting him know his confessions didn't change anything between them. If anything it had deepened her feelings for him. It opened a whole new level of trust she hadn't had with him before. He knew she could ruin his reputation with his secrets, but he was trusting her and she loved him for it.

"Joe?" she whispered. "Ranger's a master at giving the illusion of control," she started. "But there is nothing weak or passive about the way he fucks. He needs to control, to dominate, to possess his partner." She smiled as Joe's breath caught and his heartbeat sped up under her hand. "Sometimes he tears my clothes off, tosses me down onto his bed, and holds me down. Once I'm held down, he likes to eat me. He's practically a sadist, the way he withholds orgasms from me sometimes." Joe turned her, fitting her thighs around his hips. She moved her hips, pressing herself against the erection that was bulging beneath his jeans. "And sometimes he fucks me so hard I feel like he's drilling me through the bed."

"Jesus, Steph," he moaned as she pulled the zipper down on his jeans and grasped his cock in her hand.

"Mm, Joe, do you like thinking about him?" she asked as she stroked him up and down. "After you left last night he fucked me over and over until I begged him to stop. I couldn't take another pounding like that."

Joe groaned as he pulled her shirt over her head and yanked down her yoga pants. Stephanie slipped off his lap and kicked the pants off, then slid her underpants down until she stood before him bare. His eyes feasted on her body. There was no doubt that he was attracted to her and that gave her a confidence she'd always lacked before.

He rolled on a condom and pulled off his shirt before she crawled back over him. She took her time, rubbing her clit against his length before slipping him inside. She closed her eyes as she sunk down on him. "You don't always have to be the one in charge, Joe," she offered. "I thought about fucking you like this, with me in control of the speed and strength. With me in control of how and when you cum."

"Steph…" he growled.

"Maybe I'll take you like this again while I make you suck Ranger's cock. You want us to use you, Joe? You want us to take you like that?" she asked him.

She rode him harder, faster. "You liked watching his cock in me," she moaned. "Well, I want to watch him fuck you with that cock. I want to watch your ass take that big, fat dick of his. You want that, Joe? Do you want me to watch you get fucked? Maybe you even want me to help him hold you down while he takes you?"

"Fuck," he yelled, then he lifted her and turned them. He brought her down on the couch and leaned over her. His hand found her hair. He wrapped the curls around his fingers, pulling her head back so he could bite the skin on her neck. He descended from there, finding her hard nipples with his mouth, while his fingers worked at her clit. She was moaning beneath him. "Tell me you still need my cock. Tell me you still want me."

"Yes," she agreed. "I need your cock. Fuck me with it." He had one leg on the floor, the other on the couch as he leveraged himself inside of her with all his might. She screamed as he pounded into her. "Oh, God, I want you, Joe."

"Your pussy loves this, doesn't it?" he growled.

"Yes."

"You've always wanted both of our cocks," he told her. "Next time he's fucking your pussy like this I'm going to take your ass instead of his." She moaned and whimpered at the thought. "You want to feel us filling you at the same time, Stephanie? You want both of our cocks filling your greedy little holes?"

"Yes," she cried out as he pushed a finger into her ass. "Oh. God. Joe!"

"You're so God damned tight here," he moaned as he pushed another finger into her. "I'm going to fuck you here." She thrashed beneath him, more turned on than she could have imagined being by someone touching her there. "You're still mine, Cupcake."

"I'm yours," she agreed.

He threw his head back as he slammed into her one last time. She felt his body throbbing and shaking deep inside of her and it set off her own climax. He pulled out and flopped onto the floor next to the couch. She rolled over and looked down at him. He smiled back and shook his head. "That was new," he grinned.

"You never told me you liked dirty talk," she laughed back.

His smile grew. "You let me do butt stuff."

"After last night I figured I should try to concur my fears." She smiled at him. "Besides, you and Ranger both like it."

"Did he say he liked it?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes at him. "He liked it Joe or he would have never allowed it."

"And you don't think less of me?" he questioned.

She reached down and trailed her fingers over the side of his handsome face. "I think more of you," she soothed him. "Now you don't need to play the Italian Stallion with me anymore. You can just be Joe."

He pressed his lips to her palm as he looked back up at her. "I'm afraid the Italian Stallion can't be harnessed when I'm with you." She lifted her eyebrow at him, needing an explanation. "I want him to dominate me, Steph, but with you I want all the control. I need to know that you're mine."

"What if Ranger wants me to be his too?" she wondered aloud.

Joe sat up and combed his fingers through her hair as he tilted her face up to his. "I know he does," he agreed. "That's why we're going to take you together. You're going to be ours, Cupcake." God, why was that turning her on again? "Both your heart and your body have always acknowledged two masters, it's time your mind caught up."

Her mind didn't really seem to mind all that much at the moment, but then again she could hardly think when his lips were doing that. Tomorrow, she'd think tomorrow.

 ****My first ever Joe/Steph sex scene…how'd I do? More to come!****


	3. Chapter 3

****A/N…Thanks everyone, your reviews are awesome. I'm really enjoying what I'm able to do with this one, so it's great to read that you're liking it. This chapter was interesting to me because I needed to make Ranger more human than he is in the books. So you'll see him acting out of character, but I hope you'll enjoy the ties into canon and that the two worlds coalesced into a believable Ranger character.**

 **You probably know the drill, but just in case:**

 **Warning: Sex warning, this is an adult story with adult actions and language so be warned.**

 **Disclaimer: JE owns all the characters, but I own their erotic adventures in this one.**

 **And, trhodes9, I got it up today for you! Thanks again to all.****

No Longer a Choice

Chapter 3

The next morning Stephanie got up when Joe left for work. She showered, dressed in the clothes she had left at his house for such occasions, took Bob for a walk, and then drove to the office to check for new files.

Unfortunately the bond business had been slow for the good part of the last six weeks. Or at least her cousin Vinnie's bail business had been slow. She couldn't really speak to the other companies in town. Since there were no new files she sat on the couch with the doughnut she'd snatched from the box on the office manager, Connie's, desk.

"Mooch Morelli posted bond yesterday," Connie was telling Steph and Lula, the file clerk. "I bet he fails to appear again. The Morelli's never show up for their court dates."

Lula laughed. "That's a lucky thing for white girl and me. If Joe had gone back to jail like he shoulda, we wouldn't be sitting here right now." Lula shook her head like she was thinking about the alternative. "I might still be a ho and you wouldn't be seeing Super Cop."

"Or Ranger," Connie added with a little smile. Stephanie often wondered why Connie had introduced her to Ranger. When she first met him he wasn't the type of guy who'd be inclined to help someone like her. She also wondered what possessed him to agree to train her. She had settled on Ranger's sick sense of humor as his reason, because he seemed genuinely amused with her skills or lack-there-of. Now she wondered if it had been something else all along. Maybe he liked her from the start? Maybe he'd always been interested in her? He did have a level of patience and understanding with her that he didn't have with other people. He was always, right from the start, her hero and protector. She also knew he trusted her like he trusted very few others. Could all those things have been signs that he really loved her all along?

"She ain't listening," Lula stage whispered to Connie, but even that didn't drag her thoughts away from Ranger.

"Yeah, somethings up with her," Connie agreed. "I bet its man problems."

"Not Morelli, she don't look pissed." Connie nodded in agreement with Lula's observation. They both knew something was up, but neither woman could figure out what it was. Then again, there was no way either of them would ever guess what was really going on with her. Stephanie was way too straight laced in their eyes to get herself into the situation she had.

Lula finally had enough. She walked over to the couch and stood in front of Stephanie, watching as she picked at the sprinkles on her doughnut. Since when didn't she eat her doughnuts? "What's wrong with you?"

Stephanie looked up and shook her head. "Nothing. I guess I just don't feel like eating doughnuts today."

"You sick?" Connie asked. Then her eyes got wide and she pointed at Steph as she crossed the room toward her. "Oh, my, God, you're not pregnant, are you?"

Stephanie laughed helplessly. "No, I'm not pregnant."

"Thank God," Lula said crossing herself before she plopped down on the other end of the couch. "Officer Hottie ain't ready for that kinda commitment yet, no matter what he says."

Steph frowned at her, "Why would you say that?"

Lula shrugged, then looked at Connie for help. Connie shook her head no, but Lula wasn't about to let it go. "If he was really ready to settle down and have a family with you, he would have bought you a ring by now."

Stephanie rolled her eyes at them both. "He's asked me if I wanted to get engaged, at least a half dozen times."

"And what do you tell him?" Connie asked.

Well, crap. She could see where this was going. "I ask him if he has a ring."

"So if he knows you won't say yes without a ring, why the hell's he got no ring?" Lula bitched. "Without a ring he ain't serious. He just wants you to think he's serious. He's keeping you on the hook, girl."

She couldn't really argue with that. Joe knew that she'd never say yes without the ring, yet he never remedied the situation. Not that she really wanted him to actually have the ring. The engaged-to-be-engaged thing was an easy way for them both to copout. "So what? I'm not ready either," she sighed.

Connie looked at her blood red fingernails, then looked back at Stephanie like she was trying to be breezy. It didn't work. "Maybe you're not ready because you're still seeing tall, dark, and dreaming on the side."

Stephanie wasn't ready for this conversation. She really wasn't. She stood and tossed the doughnut into the trashcan. "I think I'm gonna head out. I think my mom wanted me to stop by the house this morning," she lied.

"I saw him at The Tasty Pastry yesterday," Connie interrupted. "He was buying muffins. Ranger…buying muffins!"

"So?"

"And he didn't look like Ranger," she continued. "He was wearing running shorts and a tee shirt. He was all…normal looking."

"So? He runs every morning," Steph agreed. "What's he supposed to wear? Combat gear?"

"So he runs and then he eats muffins?" Connie asked incredulously. "I knew something was fishy so I followed him and you know where he went?"

"Where?" Lula asked.

"To her apartment," Connie smirked as she pointed her finger at Steph. "You're sleeping with him again."

Lula shook her head yes and grinned. "Well, shit just got interesting up in here."

"Muffins don't translate to sex," Steph grumbled at them.

"Honey, if you passed up the opportunity to have your muffin buttered by that fine piece of man candy, then there is something seriously wrong with you," Lula complained. "Please, tell me you're getting some of that hot Cuban chorizo."

Stephanie's face turned beat red. "I'm not talking about this."

"That's a yes," Connie squealed.

Lula fist bumped Connie, then did a little dance. "Hells yes."

"Oh, good God," Stephanie sighed. "I'm going now."

"I'm too excited to work," Lula told them both. "Let's hit the mall."

Connie shrugged, then looked around the office. "I'll put the phone on service. We're slow anyway."

Stephanie thought about her sudden lack of sexy undies. She could use a trip to Victoria's Secrets. "Okay."

They were all just loading into Lula's Firebird when a rusted out, burgundy Crown Vic pulled in next to them. Stephanie smiled when Joe waved. He got out and waited by his door for her. "Hey," he smiled, then gave her a quick kiss hello.

"I took Bob out before I left," she told him. "He should be good until lunch. You want me to stop by?"

"You don't mind?" She shook her head no. "That'd be great. If he wants something to eat his diet dog food is in the fridge."

"Got it," she agreed. "Did you need something or were you just stopping to say hi?"

"Both." He pulled her in tight and kissed the breath from her body. She was dizzy and clinging to his shoulders by the time he let go. "A case just got dumped on me. If I'm home before midnight I'll be lucky, so I thought I'd give you a proper goodbye."

"That was a hell of a goodbye," she agreed. He smiled that sexy Morelli smile, the one that practically made clothing fall off of women. She threaded her fingers through his shaggy brown hair and smiled. "Do it again."

He didn't waste any time. He took her in his arms and made the world disappear. "Hot damn, Morelli," Lula hooted.

Stephanie's face heated as he pulled back and kissed her nose. "Don't completely forget me later," he told her with a little wink, then he got back in his car and was gone.

She stood there, letting the heat recede from her body. There was no way she'd forget that kiss any time soon.

"Do they both kiss like that?" Connie asked as Steph crawled into the backseat.

That's when Morelli's words really hit her and she blushed all over again. Oh, my, God. He was giving her permission to be with Ranger later, that's what he meant. That's all he could have meant. God, was she really going to do this? Was she going to let them actually share her? "Yeah, they both kiss like that," she muttered to their delight. "That's kinda the problem."

Connie and Lula looked at one another and smiled. They were finally getting somewhere. They'd have her secrets figured out sooner rather than later.

"Good thing we're goin' to the mall. We need to hit Victoria's Secret," Lula told her after careful consideration. "How many of your panties have they ruined?"

Both Connie and Stephanie laughed. Boy, if they only knew, Steph thought with a grin.

888888888

That night Stephanie sat in bed listening to the sounds coming from the other room. The soft click of the front door, the slide of the deadbolt closing, and the footsteps headed toward her kitchen. Ranger was finally here. She'd only gotten a text message from him earlier asking if he could stop by after work. She had expected him sooner, but when he didn't show she'd gotten ready for bed without him. Not that she slept. She was way too anxious.

She crawled out of bed and moved to the doorway. She watched Ranger take a bottle of water and a grape out of the fridge, then drop the fruit into Rex's cage. "You eat that and keep your squeaking down tonight, soldier," he ordered the hamster.

Stephanie smiled as Ranger opened the water bottle and took a deep drink. He was wearing a long sleeve black tee shirt with his company logo down the sleeve and the black cargo pants he always wore when he was working outside the office. The uniform never failed to make him look like sin. "Good boy, now don't you come out of that can," he warned Rex again. "Because I'm hoping to fuck your mama stupid."

"Is that anyway to talk to my baby?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen.

He smiled at her before chugging the rest of the water. "Did I wake you?" he asked, pretending he didn't know she had been watching him.

She nodded as she peeked into the hamster's cage. Both Rex and the grape had disappeared into the old soup can. "You just get off work?"

He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "We had an alarm call right at the end of our shift," he said. "Sorry it's late, but at least it's only midnight. I'd hate to wake you at 0500."

"You know better than to wake me that early," she warned. "Or you'll be sharing Rex's can instead of my bed."

He laughed in her ear. "That's harsh, babe."

She smiled to herself as she turned to face him. His eyes were immediately drawn to her chest. The camisole she picked up at Victoria's Secret gave her a great deal more cleavage than she usually had. Ranger certainly seemed to like it. "So, besides the alarm did anything exciting happen tonight?"

He shook his head, still not looking at her face. "Nothing. Yet."

She lifted herself onto her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms came around her at the same time. He squeezed her hips before reaching around her to trail his fingers over her cheeks. He rubbed the soft material of her new panties, then slipped his fingers beneath the elastic edges so he could cup her bare skin. Sinful. The man is sinful.

"Maybe I can remedy that," she offered. Good Lord. Where had that come from?

"I think you already did." His kiss was soft, gentle even as he lifted her off her feet. She took the hint and wrapped her legs around his waist. He slowly walked into her bedroom, then sat on the edge of the bed. His hands smoothed up and down her back as his lips fluttered across her collar bone. "Are these pajamas?" he whispered. She nodded her agreement as he nibbled on the skin just under her ear. "I think I'm in love with them," he whispered again. Then he slipped the straps of her camisole down her arms. "I'll buy you more."

She smiled to herself. God he was cute when he didn't filter everything he said. "I already have three."

"Not enough," he answered as he pulled the top down so her breasts balanced on top of the built in shelf bra. "Look what they do to your breasts. They're just waiting for me to take them."

"Ranger…" she laughed as he buried his face between them and started to nibble the soft, sensitive skin. She closed her eyes and gave into his warm kisses. She couldn't resist them. Then the next thing she knew his mood completely changed. He was hugging her around the waist, just holding her against him. "Ranger?"

"I need to hold you."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him, though she had no idea what was going through his mind at the moment. "Is something wrong?" she finally asked. "You're starting to scare me."

He kissed his way back up her chest and neck until he was at her lips, kissing her softly, again. She stroked his silky hair as she kissed him back. When they broke apart he stared directly into her eyes. She blinked before looking away. She wasn't uncomfortable with him, but she couldn't read him at all. He was a complete blank again and she hated when he shut her out like that. "You weren't home last night."

She nodded as she looked back at him. Oh God. Could he be jealous that she'd been with Joe? He had to know she'd still be seeing him. Wasn't that his whole plan? "I stayed at Joe's," she agreed. "We needed to talk."

He frowned, but nodded back. "And what did you and Morelli decide?"

"Decide?"

His frown deepened, then he looked away. "Are we over?"

"I hope not," she told him as she grabbed his chin and turned him back to her. He still didn't meet her eyes, which was very unlike Ranger. "Joe and I needed to talk things over. This is a big decision and a lot happened that night." He still wasn't looking at her and now he wasn't talking either. She wanted to shake him, to get him to act like he was a few minutes ago. "Ranger, if you still want to do this you can't get upset if I spend the night with Joe. He knows that I planned to be with you tonight and he accepted it. He accepted our relationship. If you can't accept the relationship I have with Joe, then we can't do this."

He looked up at her in surprise. "He accepted our relationship? You still want to be with me?"

"Yes."

"What changed your mind?" She opened her mouth, but he covered it with his finger. "I know you, Steph. You went along with things that night thinking it'd be a one-time only deal. You never really planned on being in a relationship with both of us. What changed your mind?"

What had changed her mind? Ranger's soft declarations of love that night? The way he made love to her and reassured her that everything was alright? The way he'd cared for her the next morning? Or was it the light that was shined on her relationship with Joe? The fact that she'd never be able to give Joe everything he needed, but together Ranger and she could? Or maybe it was much more selfish than that. Maybe it was because neither Joe nor Ranger could give her everything she needed, but between them she had everything she could dream of having. "It's complicated," she sighed.

He turned his body, bring his feet up onto the bed, before lying back onto the pillows with her tucked beside him. Lying in the bed facing him felt even more intimate than sitting on his lap had. She couldn't look away, there was nowhere to escape his scrutiny now. "How about you enlighten me then? I have all night."

She had no idea how to even start or what to say for that matter. She wasn't sure what had actually changed her mind, but it had been changed. There was just one thing she needed to know before she jumped in with both feet. She needed to know that Ranger wasn't going to hurt her, or Joe for that matter, but most of all she needed to know that this wasn't going to hurt him. She couldn't stand to see that cold, hard look in his eyes again. She needed to understand his reasons for wanting this. She needed him to open up once and for all.

"You said you wanted this because you wanted to be with me," she started. "What else is in it for you, Ranger? What makes sharing me with Morelli better than just coming clean, saying you love me, and asking me to be in a regular relationship with you?"

He obviously didn't like having the tables turned on him. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "Morelli loves you," he finally said. "He's a good guy, a good cop. He's strong, he's physically capable of protecting you, and he's learning to support you."

"So what, you love him?" she asked with a snort of disbelief.

"No, I don't love him," he grumbled. "But I love you, more than anything, and if something happens to me…if I don't make it home some night, then I know he'll be here to take care of you. You won't be alone. You'll be safe. You'll be protected."

"Ranger," she said sitting up, but she didn't know what else to say to him. She didn't like thinking about what he was suggesting. She couldn't imagine her life without him in it. "Look at me. Please."

He looked over at her and shook his head. "Loving you just isn't enough. It never has been. I can't risk being with you without knowing there is someone to care for you if I can't."

"So you'd rather share me with Morelli, now, while you still have a chance to be with me, just in case you're killed someday?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's never been a question of if I'm killed someday, Stephanie. It's a fact. I will be killed someday. It's only a matter of time before someone gets the best of me."

"Ranger…"

"I wish I'd made different choices when I was younger. I wish I hadn't made myself a target. I wish I could give myself to you like you deserve, but I can't change any of it. This is all I can offer you, just me, for as long I'm here," he argued.

"I'd never let you go," she argued in return. "Do you think I'd let some killer take you away from me?"

"Stephanie…" he sighed.

"You only want part of me, because you're only willing to give me a part of you?"

He sat up and grabbed her shoulders. "I want all of you. Every last look, touch, kiss. I want them all to be mine, but I can't ask you to give up a future that could make you happy just to be with me when I'm not sure how much of a future I have." She shook her head no. She couldn't listen to him talk about dying again. She couldn't. "Listen to me, babe. You love him. I know you do. I see it every time you're together. I also saw that it was tearing you apart inside trying to choose between us."

"Ranger…" she whispered, wishing things were different.

"I know I should've walked away again. I know I should've never taken you back to bed again. At the very least I should've sent you back to him afterward, but I couldn't do it again, Steph. I couldn't deny myself the one thing that brings me happiness, which is being with you. I can't let you go again. I can't give you up." Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it was going to burst. She wanted to reach out for him, to reassure him, to tell him that she wasn't going anywhere, but she couldn't. Not yet. He needed to finish what he started, so she held her breath and waited. "Stephanie, I don't know how else to make you understand. I need to share you with him, because I need to have a piece of you. I need you, babe, for as long as you allow me to share your life." She felt her tears streaming down her cheeks and swiped at them nervously. "But there is no way I can take you all for myself. I can't take you away from him. You need him. Fuck, Steph. We need him."

She stared back at him, trying to process all he'd said. It was like he'd pushed her down and kicked her repeatedly. All these years, all those times he'd pushed her away, all the reasons he'd given her to stay away…it was all a lie. He'd been too scared to let her in, to give them a chance, and now he'd come up with this plan, to share her with Joe. So many things could go wrong with this plan. Yet she walked into it and she couldn't bring herself to walk away. Not yet. She still wanted him. She still loved him. She still needed to take a chance on being with him.

"I don't want Joe hurt by this," she warned. He frowned back at her, clearly not following. "Sometimes what you see on the surface isn't all there is to know about someone. I'd never tell him your secrets or reasons for wanting this and I won't tell you his, but I think he's more vulnerable than either of us right now. Do not hurt him, Ranger."

He sighed and nodded his head in agreement. "Are you saying he could develop feelings for me?" he asked.

Stephanie crawled over and hugged him close. She really wasn't sure, but she knew that Joe was hiding a lot of his true self inside. She didn't doubt his love or affection. She didn't doubt his attraction to her, but she also felt the way he responded when he was thinking about Ranger. She didn't know if it was just the need for another man or if it was Ranger in particular, but Joe was feeling something deeper than needing to share her for comfort's sake. "I think he's very confused about what he wants right now," she answered carefully.

"What about you? Are you confused?" he whispered back to her.

"Less than I was before," she confessed.

His lips skimmed across her neck again, until they hovered just over her ear. "What do you want, babe?"

She wanted to explore him inside and out. She wanted to learn his secrets. She wanted him to teach her the things he had once declared sexually sick. She wanted to own more than just a piece of his heart. She wanted to make him see that fearing the future wasn't necessary. She wanted to make him believe there was more to their relationship than this living in the moment thing he was offering her. She wanted all of him. "I want you," she answered simply.

"And you're willing to try this my way?" he asked. "You're willing to try having a relationship with us both?"

She didn't answer, instead turning the tables on him again. "What about you? Are you willing to allow me time alone with Joe? Are you willing to take both of us to bed again?" she asked him. "Are you willing to have a relationship with Joe just to know that I'm taken care of?"

"I know there will be more nights when you're just with him, but there will be nights you're just with me too. I'm alright with that. I've been alright with that for three years now, only now I know you'll still be coming back to me afterward." A part of her ached inside for what he just said. She'd hurt him without knowing it and God she wanted to heal that pain. She'd never leave him again. She'd always come back to him. She'd never shut him out again. She promised herself those things even though she couldn't quite bring herself to promise him yet. "And, yes, Stephanie. I want to fully explore what we started here the other night." He patted the mattress and her face started to flush as she thought about what had happened in her bed that night. "I want to teach you that your pleasure is mine."

He laid her back against the pillows before kissing her again. This time it wasn't soft or sweet. It was deep, searching…primal. His strong hands pulled the tank top down around her waist, then yanked her panties to the side to allow his fingers room to explore. He stroked her up and down, until she was bucking against his hand for more. "You have no idea how much I enjoyed watching your pleasure the other night." He smiled down at her as he continued to tease her aroused flesh. "You have no idea how much I enjoyed him watching us make love." Stephanie's eyes were about to roll back in her head. His words, his fingers, the memories, it was almost too much. "Did you like having four hands touching you? Two mouths tasting you? Two dicks taking pleasure from you? Two men worshipping your body?" He chuckled a husky, manly laugh as she moaned in delight. "Of course you did, babe. You want it again and again, don't you?"

"Yes," she moaned. "Yes, I want it again."

"So do I," he agreed. "And not just because I loved watching your pleasure, but because I felt the same things. I loved having you both worship my body. I loved that you both wanted me. I loved the way our sex tasted mingled together on my tongue. I loved the differences in our bodies, yours soft and smooth and his hard and course. I loved that I was lucky enough to be the one between you. Your soft body holding mine, making love to me, while he used me, fucked me, and made me part of your relationship. I want it again, babe. I want it bad."

"Oh, God, Ranger," she moaned out as she neared her peak.

"I want you to learn to enjoy every pleasure I know how to give," he answered her. She heard the material render, then her panties were pulled away from her body. His strong hands spread her legs, then his mouth was on her. So warm, so wet, so demanding of her body. She broke, shattered, fell to pieces, but he didn't stop stroking her. His tongue changed rhythm, swirling and licking faster and harder until she was nearly there again. "Carlos, Carlos, Carlos," she chanted mindlessly.

Suddenly he flipped her over onto her stomach, his fingers replaced his mouth at her clit, stroking her until she was whimpering into her pillow. Then his other hand pulled her cheeks apart and she felt his tongue against her ass, circling, stroking, and piercing with gentle pressure. It was too much, she came again, clutching and crying out his name. He didn't stop though, he kept going, not even acknowledging that she had climaxed as he built her toward another.

She was so close, about to cum again, when the pressure changed and his thumb very gently slipped inside her ass, then a finger almost immediately followed, moving inside her pussy. He added another finger and another until they were all inside her pussy, stretching her open and pushing along her back wall which felt so full with his thumb on the other side. "God, you're beautiful," he moaned as he kissed along her spine. "This is what I want, Stephanie. I want you to take both of our cocks like this. I want you in the middle between us. I want you to feel the differences in our bodies. The differences in the way we make love to you. I want you to hold us both here, to cradle us inside of you while we flood you with pleasure. Most of all I want you to know that you own us both. We are yours, Steph, both of us."

Her body shook and her vision went black as her body was taken again by a climax harder than any she'd ever had before. When she was aware of her surroundings again she was resting in Ranger's arms. He was stroking her hair and kissing her forehead. "Holy crap," she whispered to him. "What was that?"

He smiled back at her, then laughed. "Just the beginning."

Her eyes widened when she realized he was now naked and very aroused. "Make love to me?" she asked. "Slowly."

"Anything you want," he agreed as he kissed her again.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"Babe," he sighed as his body slipped inside hers. "Love you, only you."

 ****And I'll try my best to have the next chapter up tomorrow as well. Reviews are appreciated and your thoughts and suggestions are always taken into consideration. Thanks. ****


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